We all know that babies, whether human or animal, grow and develop very quickly, but sometimes you don’t realize how fast they grow unless you can see the differences side-by-side. San Antonio Zoo shared a video in mid-June of three baby cockatoos at different stages of development, and it’s amazing to see.
The three baby birds featured in the video are all siblings. A cockatoo’s incubation period after laying eggs takes about 25-30 days on average, and the eggs don’t all hatch at the same time, which explains the size differences. Make sure your sound is on so you can hear the three practicing their squawks and squeaks – it’ll make you smile!
@sanantoniozoo They’re definitely siblings 😂 #animals #cuteanimals #babyanimals #birds #fyp
San Antonio Zoo shared more about the birds in the video’s caption, “These are baby Black Palm Cockatoos. These amazing birds are native to Australia and New Guinea and are one of nature’s most unique parrots. They will spend the next weeks of their life under the expert care of our Aviculture team at The Nest, the state-of-the-art facility where they hand-rear birds from all around the world!”
Related: Screaming’ Hungry Baby Black Palm Cockatoo at San Diego Zoo Is Making Everybody Smile
Commenter Reactions to San Antonio Zoo’s Baby Black Palm Cockatoos
The Zoo’s video quickly went viral, racking up nearly 6 million views, half a million likes, and more than 7 thousand comments. People had a lot to say about the baby cockatoos. Like @andrew who joked, “They lined up like Pokemon evolutions!!!” @Gigi pointed out, “You know this is how Jurassic Park started…”
@Roscoe ETK said, “The three stages of toddlerhood LOL!” We couldn’t help but laugh when @Creemiib added, “It’s always the middle child.”
More About Black Palm Cockatoos
Commenter @Demetrius shared, “Birds are one of the few animals that are actually cuter as adults…” According to Spruce Pets, these chicks will look much different when their feathers come in at around 14-16 weeks old. The older two birds are already getting their feathers, but the tiny little one has a ways to go still.
They also shared cool fact about the birds, “This otherwise single-colored bird has bright red patches of bare skin on their cheeks, which change colors when the bird gets excited. Their cheeks are as striking as its dark grayish-black beak, giving it a very distinct profile up close.” They’ll be much more attractive when they get older!
Black Palm Cockatoos are the largest of the world’s cockatoo species (there are 18 in total). They can grow to up to 24 inches long and weigh up to 3 pounds. In the wild, they live between 40 and 60 years, and even longer in captivity: up to 80 to 90 years with proper care. They can be kept as pets, but they’re not as friendly as some other parrots and require much more training. While they can learn to mimic sounds and human speech, they usually have a more limited vocabulary than other parrots.